Effects of Microfinance Bank Credit on Small and Medium Scale Businesses: Evidence from Alimosho LGA, Lagos State.

The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of microfinance bank credit and its debt servicing on the profitability of SMEs in Alimosho Local Government Area, Lagos State, Nigeria. A survey was carried out involving 387 SMEs in Alimosho LGA, Lagos State and information was extracted using a well-structured questionnaire to answer research hypotheses raised. Evidence from the simple linear regression outputs of SPSS v.25 shows that that MFBs loans and MFBs loans debt service deteriorates significantly the profitability of selected SMEs in the Alimosho local government area of Lagos state. Policy recommendations to the Federal Government, commercial banks, microfinance banks and the apex bank are; Micro Finance Banks (MFBs) should lighten the terms of lending including increasing the duration of the loans to ease repayment by SMEs; MFBs should adopt flexible requirements suitable for small-scale and medium enterprises as pertaining documentation and other specialized services to engender SMEs growth; MFBs should cover the lacuna of ex-post verification by setting up a digital platform where progress of projects cum businesses for which loans are granted are effectively monitored at lesser costs

Time of introducing component crop influences productivity of intercropping system

Field experiment was conducted at National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Mbato Sub-station, Okigwe, Imo State, South-eastern Nigeria in the 2012 and 2013 cropping seasons to establish the most appropriate time to introduce component crops in cocoyam/cowpea mixture. Five different planting schemes (two and four weeks before, two and four weeks after and same day) and two cowpea genotypes (climbing Akidienu and erect IT97K-499-35) were used. The component crops were grown in monocultures to assess the productivity of the systems. The experimental design used was a completely randomized design with three replicates. Growth and yield of cocoyam and the cowpea genotypes increased significantly (P<0.05) when either of the component crops was planted earlier than the other. Intercropping reduced significantly (P<0.05) cocoyam yield by 0.7 − 74% in IT97K-499-35 and 22 − 80% in Akidienu. Sowing the cowpea genotypes the same day or before cocoyam resulted in over-yielding of cowpea, whereas sowing Akidienu and IT97K-499-35 after cocoyam caused pod yield reductions of 64% − 73% and 32% − 59% on average, respectively. Cocoyam planted two weeks before IT97K-499-35 produced more satisfactory yields of the intercrops than the other planting schedules with LER, LEC and ATER of 2.15, 1.03 and 1.57, respectively

Soil Erosion: A Review of Models and Applications

Soil erosion is a global environmental problem influenced by both natural and human factors. Modeling provides a quantitative and consistent approach to estimate soil erosion and sediment yield under a wide range of conditions, and is needed to guide the comprehensive control of soil erosion. Over the years various soil erosion models have been developed. The application of these models is dependent on the soil type and climate of the given area because models differ in complexity and input requirements. This paper reviews various soil erosion models and their applications, focusing more on the most widely applied models which are: Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP). The method used for this research is a review of academic articles, bulletins, conference papers, textbooks, research reports and publicly available materials on soil erosion models and their applications. The results of this study revealed that most soil erosion models have been developed for the assessment of rill and interill erosion at plot or catchment scale on agricultural lands and watersheds in terms of estimating mostly soil loss, sediment yield, erodibility (K) values, rainfall factor (R) factors, runoff rates and forecasts of likely impacts. Again, the study indicated that most previous authors on soil erosion assessment used the empirical models due to their limited data and parameter inputs. Recommendations of this study include: (1) expansion of the USLE and RUSLE models for the simulation of gully erosion and sediment processes; (2) researchers should be encouraged through grants to develop empirical models (that make use of limited data) based on rainfall (R) factor and erodibility (K) factor that provide two opposing forces in soil erosion processes; and (3) management of soil erosion based on the indigenous knowledge of the affected people and land holders

SSR markers reveal diversity in Guinea yam (Dioscorea cayenensis/D. rotundata) core set

The genetic diversity of 219 accessions of Guinea yam germplasm from Benin, Congo, Côte d’ Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo was accessed using 15 microsatelliteloci. High diversity of 0.677 was found among the accessions. An allelic average of 8.06 and polymorphic information content (PIC) value of 0.65 was observed for the markers. The observed heterozygosity value of 0.563 suggests that spontaneous hybridization must have contributed to the ancestry of some of the accessions and improvement by farmers must have been far more often by selection of somatic mutants. The twenty distinct cluster groups generated by the radial phylogram shows that Dioscorea cayenensis and D. rotundata are distinct species with intermediate hybrid forms. There was no relationship between relatedness of the accessions and their geographical area of origin. This study contributes to an increased understanding of the genetic organisation of the coregermplasm

Peacock bass mortality associated with catch-and-release sport fishing in the Negro River, Amazonas State, Brazil

Sport fishing for peacock bass Cichla spp. in the Brazilian Amazon has increased in popularity and attracts anglers who generate significant economic benefits in rural regions. The sustainability of this fishery is partly dependent on the survival of fish caught through catch-and-release fishing. The objective of this work was to investigate, hooking mortality of Cichla spp., including speckled peacock bass (C. temensis Humbolt), butterfly peacock bass (C. orinocensis Humbolt), and popoca peacock bass (C. monoculus Agassiz) in the basin of the Negro River, the largest tributary of the Amazon River. Fish were caught at two different sites using artificial lures, transported to pens anchored in the river and monitored for 72 hours. A total of 162 individual peacock bass were captured and hooking mortality (mean % ± 95% confidence intervals) was calculated. Mean mortality was 3.5% (± 5.0), 2.3% (± 3.5) and 5.2% (± 10.2) for speckled peacock bass, butterfly peacock bass, and popoca peacock bass, respectively. Lengths of captured fish ranged from 26 to 79 cm (standard length), however, only fish under 42 cm died. This research suggests that catch-and-release sport fishing of peacock bass does not result in substantial mortality in the Negro River basin.A pesca esportiva de tucunarés Cichla spp., na Amazônia brasileira, aumentou em popularidade nos últimos anos e tem atraído pescadores esportivos que geram benefícios econômicos para essa região. Entretanto, a sustentabilidade dessa pescaria depende em parte da sobrevivência dos peixes capturados por meio da prática do pesque e solte. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a mortalidade de Cichla spp., incluindo o tucunaré paca (C. temensis Humbolt), o borboleta (C. orinocensis Humbolt) e o popoca (C. monoculus Agassiz) em dois locais na bacia do rio Negro, o maior tributário do rio Amazonas. Os peixes foram capturados por variados tipos de iscas artificiais e posteriormente monitorados em viveiros construídos no próprio rio por 72 horas. Um total de 162 tucunarés foi capturado, e as mortalidades (% ± intervalo de confiança 95%) foram calculadas. A mortalidade foi 3,5% (± 5,0), 2,3% (± 3,2) e 5,2% (±10,2) para o paca, o borboleta e o popoca, respectivamente. O comprimento padrão dos peixes capturados variou de 26 a 79 cm, mas apenas os peixes menores até 42 cm morreram. A pesquisa sugere que a pesca esportiva não causou substancial mortalidade na população de Cichla spp. na bacia do rio Negro

Knowledge, perception and willingness to receive the current COVID-19 vaccine among residents of Awka metropolis, Anambra State, Nigeria

Background: Vaccines can effectively reduce most morbidities and mortalities caused by infectious agents. The emergence of the COVID-19 vaccine may be accompanied with huge success in containing the pandemic. The aim of the study was to assesses knowledge, perception and willingness to receive the current COVID-19 vaccine among residents in Awka metropolis, Anambra State, Nigeria.Methods: Using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire, this study was conducted in Awka metropolis Anambra State, Nigeria among 393 respondents (aged 18 years and above), and analyzed to assess their knowledge, perception and willingness to receive the current COVID-19 vaccine. Statistical package for social sciences software (SPSS) version 23.0 was used, descriptive statistics were reported in frequencies and percentages, Chi-square test was used to assess the association between socio-demographic characteristics and willingness to receive the vaccine, and level of significance was set at p<0.05.Results: The results showed that all respondents (100%) have good knowledge of the vaccine availability. Only 25.7% were willing to receive the vaccine, although 57.3% were willing to receive any other vaccine apart from the COVID-19 vaccine. Very few respondents (18.3%) thinks the vaccine is accessible to all. Most of the respondents (72%) did not support mandatory implementation of COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria. Among the socio-demographic characteristics, only occupation was significantly associated with willingness to receive the vaccine (p=0.010, χ2=20.214).  Conclusions: This study highlighted the need to effectively educate the masses through appropriate public health literacy programs and enlightenment campaigns on the role of the vaccine in curbing this pandemic

Less Anterior Knee Pain with a Mobile-bearing Prosthesis Compared with a Fixed-bearing Prosthesis

Anterior knee pain is one of the major short-term complaints after TKA. Since the introduction of the mobile-bearing TKA, numerous studies have attempted to confirm the theoretical advantages of a mobile-bearing TKA over a fixed-bearing TKA but most show little or no actual benefits. The concept of self-alignment for the mobile bearing suggests the posterior-stabilized mobile-bearing TKA would provide a lower incidence of anterior knee pain compared with a fixed-bearing TKA. We therefore asked whether the posterior-stabilized mobile-bearing knee would in fact reduce anterior knee pain. We randomized 103 patients scheduled for cemented three-component TKA for osteoarthrosis in a prospective, double-blind clinical trial. With a 1-year followup, more patients experienced persistent anterior knee pain in the posterior-stabilized fixed-bearing group (10 of 53, 18.9%) than in the posterior-stabilized mobile-bearing group (two of 47, 4.3%). No differences were observed for range of motion, visual analog scale for pain, Oxford 12-item questionnaire, SF-36, or the American Knee Society score. The posterior-stabilized mobile-bearing knee therefore seems to provide a short-term advantage compared with the posterior-stabilized fixed-bearing knee